The Franchise Council of Australia honoured franchising's best and brightest at the MYOB FCA Excellence in Franchising Awards Gala Dinner last night at the RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast.

The big winner on the night was G.J. Gardner Homes, which was named Australian Established Franchisor of the Year and won the Excellence in International Franchising and Franchisor Social Responsibility categories.

From humble beginnings in 1983 in Queensland as an independent building firm, G.J. Gardner Homes now has more than 100 franchisees operating throughout the world.

And whether it is planting 15 trees for every house they build in Victoria, an initiative that has seen G.J. Gardner homes plant 30,000 trees over the past seven years, or successful international expansion that has included entry into the United States of America, G.J. Gardner Homes demonstrated excellence across the board in their Award submissions.

"We've been so fortunate to take out three Awards tonight and it's really thanks to the team - our franchisees, our master franchisees and our strategic partners," said G. J. Gardner Homes' CEO and Managing Director, Darren Wallis.

'It's a massive recognition of the effort our team has put in over the years we've been franchising. It's just so good to be recognised by our peers and by the franchising industry."

"Winning a Franchise Council of Australia award is just great for business," added Lee Moore, General Manager of G.J. Gardner Homes. "From an international perspective it'll mean that new franchisees will see us as a leading franchisor in the business. Certainly, from a social and community responsibility perspective, it's great for our customers to see we are really involved in the community."

Food and coffee franchise Soul Origin was named the Australian Emerging Franchisor of the Year. With 80 stores and a presence in most Australian states, Soul Origin is a rapidly growing franchise system that serves nutritious food on the go.

"I'm a little bit overwhelmed at the moment because we didn't expect to win this award tonight," said Chris Mavris, General Manager of Soul Origin.

"To be recognised by our peers in such a way gives us real credibility in the industry and for them to say 'guys you've done a great job' means more to me than anything we've ever achieved so far."

Fastway Couriers celebrated their 25th anniversary of operating in Australia by taking home the award for the International Franchisor of the Year for the second time in three years.

"The award really recognises all the hard work that goes on not only in our franchise support office but in our 27 regional franchise locations across the country," said Richard Thame, CEO of Fastway Couriers in Australia.

"And of course, for all our courier franchisees. They're the ones who are getting up early every morning and working really long days to build businesses. Our franchisees have done a terrific job of embracing the technology that's out there today and really taken advantage of a surge in online retail. That's really put us on the radar so that we are now doing business with some of the main retail brands in Australia. And that's something we're all very, very proud of at Fastway."

It was also a successful evening for handyman franchise Hire A Hubby, which won the Excellence in Marketing and Franchise Innovation categories at the Awards.

Ryan Willsher of Finn Franchise Brokers, North Perth and Regional Western Australia, was honoured as the 2017 Multi-Unit Franchisee of the Year as well as taking home the Franchisee Community Responsibility and Contribution Award.

"Winning these Awards means a lot for both me and my team, but also our brand. We're still a relatively young brand so to be able to receive an Award like this means a lot for everyone involved. It will definitely help us win business, I think. People will trust us more and it will give us a lot of credibility," said Ryan.

The awards also included the induction of a new member into the Franchise Hall of Fame Rod Young. Rod is considered one of the worlds' foremost franchising consultants and is the current Chairman and Global CEO of the $250 million Cartridge World group.

Aaron Smith, founder and CEO of KX Pilates was named the winner of the 2017 NextGen in Franchising FranShark competition. The competition is designed to assist young entrepreneurs who are looking to grow their businesses by franchising, and is powered by Octomedia and supported and judged by the FCA Hall of Fame.

A total of 14 Excellence in Franchising Awards, plus the 2017 Hall of Fame inductee and NextGen in Franchising winner, were presented on the evening, which was proudly sponsored by MYOB. Successful individuals and businesses were recognised across a range of functions including franchisees, support staff and franchise systems.

MYOB FCA Excellence in Franchising Awards 2017 Winners

Australian Established Franchisor of the Year - G.J. Gardner Homes

Australian Emerging Franchisor of the Year - Soul Origin

International Franchisor of the Year - Fastway Couriers

Multi-Unit Franchisee of the Year - Ryan Willsher, Finn Franchise Brokers, North Perth and Regional WA

Single Unit Franchisee of the Year, two or more staff - Nellie Dicks, Bank of Queensland, Richmond

Single Unit Franchisee of the Year, less than two staff - Beverley Taylor, InXpress, Bondi